Vertical video and reframing
Switch an edit to 9:16 and reframe its shots.
Prism outputs at two shapes: 16:9 at 1920 by 1080, and 9:16 at 1080 by 1920.
The aspect ratio is part of the brief, so a video commissioned as vertical arrives vertical. You can also switch an existing edit over.
Switching is the quick part. Reframing the shots that were composed for a wide frame is the work.
Switching an edit to 9:16
The aspect control sits in the player's control bar, showing the current shape.
- Open the output in the Editing Suite
- Choose the aspect indicator in the control bar
- Pick 9:16
The player reshapes immediately.
Choose 16:9 for broadcast and the web, and 9:16 for vertical feeds.
What changes when you switch
Three things follow the switch without you asking.
- Caption presets apply their vertical settings, shrinking the type and shortening lines
- A TRACK SUBJECT switch appears on footage and SOT video clips
- Wide shots now overflow the frame, cropping to the centre by default
A custom caption style does not adapt. It uses your typed values at both shapes, so set Size and Characters per line again after switching — see Caption styles.
Reframing a clip
Select a clip in the timeline, and its panel opens on the left. SIZE & POSITION sets how the clip sits in the vertical frame.
| Mode | What you get |
|---|---|
| Fill | The clip fills the frame and is cropped to fit. This is where every clip starts |
| Fit | The whole shot kept, with empty area above and below |
| Manual | Your own SCALE, X and Y, set under TRANSFORM |
On a Fit clip, BACKGROUND fills the empty area with Blur or Color.
CROP trims the clip's edges, and the background shows through where it was cut.
Following the subject
TRACK SUBJECT pans the frame to keep a moving subject in it. The panel describes it as Pans a Fill clip to follow the subject over time.
Tracking works on Fill clips. Crop a clip or switch it to Manual, and the panel reads Tracking doesn't apply while the clip has a crop or manual transform — you're framing it yourself. Clear the crop or return the clip to Fill to track again.
Framing by hand
Anything Fill crops badly, you can place yourself.
- Switch SIZE & POSITION to Manual and set SCALE, X and Y
- Or pause playback, click the clip in the player and drag it into place
The full set of framing controls is covered in Size, position and crop.
Checking the cut
Play the edit through at 9:16 before rendering.
Watch for faces cropped at the edge, for on-screen text from the source that now falls outside the frame, and for graphics that were placed for a wide shot.
Prism draws no title-safe guides, so judge edge-of-frame elements against the player itself.
FAQ
Can I make one 16:9 and one 9:16 version of the same story?
Yes. Duplicate the finished output from its menu, then switch the copy to 9:16 in the Editing Suite. Or brief the story again at 9:16, and Prism composes it vertical from the start.